Nip/Tuck Treats Ectrodactyly with Precision/Care
One of the most dramatic storylines of this season's Nip/Tuck boiled to a head last night. Dr. Sean McNamara performed surgery on his son Conor, who was born earlier this season with ectrodactyly, also known as Split Hand/Split Foot Malformation and the negatively-coined phrase Lobster Claw syndrome.
So just how common is Conor's condition? And can it really be corrected with surgery?
There are many types and combinations of ectrodactyly deformities and they range widely in severity, but it's generally characterized by the complete or partial absence of some fingers or toes. The word ectrodactyly is derived from the Greek ektroma (abortion) and daktylos (finger), which literally means abortion of a finger. In Conor McNamara's case, his fingers appear to be joined together, which is known as syndactyly. It is the most common congenital abnormality of the hand, occurring at a rate of 1 per 2000-2500 births.
As for treatment, it's a weighty subject that touches upon strong ethical questions. Nip/Tuck handled this well with a nice flashback of Sean as a child (SPOILER warning for those still storing this on TiVo). It turns out he was tormented by other children because he was born with a cleft lip, a shocking revelation that shed light on why he wanted to perform Conor's surgery so quickly. "All I want for him is to be normal," he said. This served as a stark contrast to Julia's misgivings about performing an invasive and possibly painful (she thinks) surgery on her newborn child.
It should be noted that people born with ectrodactyly can and do live normal lives. In fact, actress and activist Bree Walker, who appeared earlier this season on Nip/Tuck as a confident woman with ectrodactyly, is living proof. That wasn't a special effect. She's become a hero of sorts to people with disabilities. For 20 years, she was a television newscaster in Southern California and later acted on the HBO program Carnivale.
Syndactyly can be treated with surgery; this is called a "syndactyly release." The procedure involves surgically separating the fingers and performing skin grafts to close the incisions. One thing I noticed watching the show is that Sean performed zigzag incisions instead of straight lines, and it turns out that is the proper technique. Kudos to the writers for getting these minor details correct. Further information about the procedure can be found here.
Keep in mind that this does not correct the condition. It merely improves function and appearance, and the results are usually pretty good. Conor will continue to have some form of ectrodactyly and there's a chance of recurrence, so you can be certain this storyline will continue to add an emotional 'oomph' to this deeply superficial show.
So just how common is Conor's condition? And can it really be corrected with surgery?
There are many types and combinations of ectrodactyly deformities and they range widely in severity, but it's generally characterized by the complete or partial absence of some fingers or toes. The word ectrodactyly is derived from the Greek ektroma (abortion) and daktylos (finger), which literally means abortion of a finger. In Conor McNamara's case, his fingers appear to be joined together, which is known as syndactyly. It is the most common congenital abnormality of the hand, occurring at a rate of 1 per 2000-2500 births.
As for treatment, it's a weighty subject that touches upon strong ethical questions. Nip/Tuck handled this well with a nice flashback of Sean as a child (SPOILER warning for those still storing this on TiVo). It turns out he was tormented by other children because he was born with a cleft lip, a shocking revelation that shed light on why he wanted to perform Conor's surgery so quickly. "All I want for him is to be normal," he said. This served as a stark contrast to Julia's misgivings about performing an invasive and possibly painful (she thinks) surgery on her newborn child.
It should be noted that people born with ectrodactyly can and do live normal lives. In fact, actress and activist Bree Walker, who appeared earlier this season on Nip/Tuck as a confident woman with ectrodactyly, is living proof. That wasn't a special effect. She's become a hero of sorts to people with disabilities. For 20 years, she was a television newscaster in Southern California and later acted on the HBO program Carnivale.
Syndactyly can be treated with surgery; this is called a "syndactyly release." The procedure involves surgically separating the fingers and performing skin grafts to close the incisions. One thing I noticed watching the show is that Sean performed zigzag incisions instead of straight lines, and it turns out that is the proper technique. Kudos to the writers for getting these minor details correct. Further information about the procedure can be found here.
Keep in mind that this does not correct the condition. It merely improves function and appearance, and the results are usually pretty good. Conor will continue to have some form of ectrodactyly and there's a chance of recurrence, so you can be certain this storyline will continue to add an emotional 'oomph' to this deeply superficial show.
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